Desktop computer in reboot loop

[glocye]

My desktop computer rebooted itself without end. I had to pull the power cord in order to shut it down.

After consulting some friends we guessed the memory modules were the cause and I had them replaced with new ones. The abnormal behavior stopped....or so I thought.

A few days later it resumed rebooting itself numerous times. The only way to shut it down was to pull out the power cord.

I can rule out the operating system as the cause. It occurred with both Microsoft Windows and Linux OSes.

Has my motherboard been infected with some malware? (A few weeks ago my friend used his USB thumb drive to copy some files from my computer.)

Is the Intel CPU or PSU failing?

Below are my hardware specifications

about 3 years' old

Intel i5-4570 Haswell CPU
Seasonic Gold 650 watts power supply unit
Dell 24-inch Full-HD IPS monitor
D-Link ADSL2+ router, model DSL-2750E
Kingston HyperX 240GB SSD with Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Intel 530 series 240GB SSD with Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro

about 3 months' old

Samsung DVD rewriter (internal SATA)
Toshiba Q300 Pro 256GB SSD with Ubuntu OS
USB 2.0 external webcam

about a month old

Asus H97-Pro Gamer motherboard

about a week old

Kingston Fury memory modules (a pair of 8GB each), 16GB, DDR3 1600MHz
Aerocool tower case with two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports in the front of the case

 

[Ketchup]

So does it not boot up at all, or are you doing things on it and it just reboots out of nowhere? If so, what are you doing when it reboots?

You might want to check and make sure the CPU heatsink is attached properly. And if that's not it, power supply would be my first guess.

 

[Dannar26]

Are you able to get to the BIOS? Or does this insanity begin only when your system tries to load Windows?

 

[UsandThem]

You can download the Intel Diagnostic Tool to see if your CPU has errors or is overheating.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19792/Intel-Processor-Diagnostic-Tool

Otherwise, I agree with Ketchup and would look at testing a different PSU in it to see if yours is the problem.

 

[glocye]

So does it not boot up at all,

It did boot and shut down and rebooted itself. It was an endless loop of reboots.

or are you doing things on it and it just reboots out of nowhere?

Well it all began when I was surfing the internet. All of a sudden my desktop computer shut down by itself and rebooted. The reboot lasted a mere 10 seconds before it shut down and the computer rebooted.

Yes, it just rebooted out of nowhere.

I was using Ubuntu OS at that time, not Microsoft Windows OS.

If so, what are you doing when it reboots?

Well, I tried to get into the BIO setup by pressing the Delete key. No success as the time interval between each reboot was mere seconds.

You might want to check and make sure the CPU heatsink is attached properly. And if that's not it, power supply would be my first guess.

I bought the Asus H97-Pro gamer motherboard in the last week of April and I installed the CPU and the heatsink on the day I bought it.

From that day till the weird behavior of reboot loop occurred, my computer did not give me problems at all.

The brand of my PSU is Seasonic and the model name is X-650. It comes with a 5-year warranty of which 3 years have already passed.

 

[glocye]

Are you able to get to the BIOS? Or does this insanity begin only when your system tries to load Windows?

No, I wasn't able to get into the BIOS setup because the time interval between each reboot was about 10 seconds.

And no, I wasn't using Microsoft Windows OS at that time. I was using Ubuntu OS.

 

[glocye]

You can download the Intel Diagnostic Tool to see if your CPU has errors or is overheating.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19792/Intel-Processor-Diagnostic-Tool

Otherwise, I agree with Ketchup and would look at testing a different PSU in it to see if yours is the problem.

How am I able to use the Intel Diagnostic Tool on my CPU when my computer just refused to stop rebooting itself?

 

[UsandThem]

How am I able to use the Intel Diagnostic Tool on my CPU when my computer just refused to stop rebooting itself?

My desktop computer rebooted itself without end. I had to pull the power cord in order to shut it down.

After consulting some friends we guessed the memory modules were the cause and I had them replaced with new ones. The abnormal behavior stopped....or so I thought.

A few days later it resumed rebooting itself numerous times. The only way to shut it down was to pull out the power cord.

You don't. Try a new PSU to start.

 

[swgaspidey]

your power switch maybe the cause of your reboot problem try unplugging switch and plugging in a different switch and see what happens. replace switch if needed

 

[glocye]

your power switch maybe the cause of your reboot problem try unplugging switch and plugging in a different switch and see what happens. replace switch if needed

Were you referring to the power switch on my computer case?

 

[SamMaster]

Were you referring to the power switch on my computer case?

Could be the case or the motherboard. A way to see is to turn it on then unplug the power connectors, or just unplug it before turning it on, then use a screwdriver to short the two pins that connect the power button on the motherboard. There is always a certain level of risk doing ether, so be careful. If it reboots even when the power button is unplugged, then there is a big chance the motherboard is at fault.

 

[Ketchup]

I bought the Asus H97-Pro gamer motherboard in the last week of April and I installed the CPU and the heatsink on the day I bought it.

From that day till the weird behavior of reboot loop occurred, my computer did not give me problems at all.

The brand of my PSU is Seasonic and the model name is X-650. It comes with a 5-year warranty of which 3 years have already passed.

It's great that it didn't give you any problems for over a month, but I don't see anything that you looked at/took a feel of the heatsink to make sure the connection is solid on all corners.